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Hank Williams Jr. fired by ESPN

October 6, 2011 | 11:50
am

A country boy can survive.

But not in this case.

ESPN has pulled the plug on the longtime "Monday Night Football" theme song after singer Hank Williams Jr. used an analogy that included Adolf Hitler and President Obama to make a political point on Fox News.

No longer will "All My Rowdy Friends" be used as the introduction to the game.

"We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr.," ESPN said Thursday in a statement. "We appreciate his contributions over the past years. The success of 'Monday Night Football' has always been about the games and that will continue."

The incident in question happened Monday on "Fox & Friends" when Williams said of Obama's golf outing with House Speaker John Boehner: "It'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu," referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Williams then referred to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as "the enemy."

Immediately after the comments, ESPN declined to use the song for Monday's game between Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.

On his website, Williams said he quit ESPN, not the other way around.

"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote. "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."